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[MN] Winter is Coming

His Imperial & Royal Majesty, Friedrich IV

The German government, in response to the upcoming disaster, ordered an immediate weather advisory warning to be delivered to all of the Länder regarding the chilling winds and large amounts of snow. Roads were preemptively salted, and weather service stations keeping track of the changing weather patterns. The civilian fishing fleets off the German Coasts would be ordered to return, and the price of marine goods, such as fish, would be inflated due to the shortages that were expected.

The Federal Ministry of Transport, Digital Infrastructure, Energy, and Nuclear Safety had ordered immediate action to be taken to combat the cold weather, including placing chains on tires and ordering snowplow companies to continuously patrol the streets of major cities and towns.. The Autobahn would be considered more challenging, due to the the intense use of it. Depending on the day–to–day weather, the Autobahn would have to be closed due to a lack of resources to help in keeping the snow from creating dangerous conditions. Furthermore, flights were delayed due to wind conditions and icy weather, though they would resume their normal schedules when temperatures were a little less cold.

Apprentice

The Ministry of Ecological Transition would monitor the current reports from around other European nations and in turn would order the State Meteorological Agency to issue warnings to citizens in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre and Aragon to make preparations as an amber warning would be issued. The governments in these regions would also issue orders for the emergency services to be on standby and crews currently off shift would be called into action to potentially deal with any crisis' that may occur. Fishing boats in the seas around the affected regions would be ordered back to port and harbormasters would assist people in securing their boats in ports.

Beach stores in the regions would also be closed and all beaches in the regions would be closed with the Civil Guard enforcing the closures severely. Sandbag purchases would be at a record high just in case of any flooding which may occur. Gritters would be out in full force as they prepared for the worst and began gritting any roads in the affected regions.

Volunteers in the regions would begin to knock on the houses of elderly people to inform them of what was going on and they would hand them resources such as water, blankets and small bags of food in case they could not leave their homes. Spain was waiting for the worst.

Kingdom of the Netherlands

The RV Pelagia would return to Den Helder harbour ahead of the storm in order to make safe berth.

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, having a 7-hour warning of the severe incoming weather would immediately release the most severe weather, a red alert. In response society would begin preparing for what was to come, schools would be closed and children sent home, hospitals would prepare for an influx in cold/frost related ailments while also sending out teams to check on the elderly and ensure they would be able to survive the coming storm, businesses would close and the transport system would begin to grind to a standstill. While Rijkswaterstaat would attempt to keep roads clear and accessible, it was advised that unessential journeys should not be made. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol would begin to cancel flights as it became increasingly dangerous to fly in and out of the Netherlands, Dutch airspace would also closed for all flights while the high pressure system dominate the sky. Rijkswaterstaat would also continue to monitor all dikes which had recently gone through a multi-billion dollar repair and maintenance project.

The storm was expected to force the Netherlands in total isolationism and the government released a statement calling for people to remain indoors for their own safety.

Addict

The Rescue Mission Conclusion
The information provided by the Norwegian Air Force was immediately forwarded to the British C-130 Aircrew who would use it to ensure their safe extraction. The weather was monitored for the flight and as previously arranged, the mission was at the discretion of the aircrew to judge whether it was safe to carry on. The evaluation of the leading officer concluded they were to go ahead. Battling the wind, temperature drops and general area, the C-130 was to carry out low and slow landing. Minimum speed offered them the opportunity to come to a halt much quicker to accommodate for anything on the airstrip that could cause them to slide; even though the ice was to be eased before their arrival.

Slowly making touchdown and holding against the wind, the capability of the C-130 stood against the plummeting temperatures and safely came to a halt. It was a quick transition between getting everyone on board for the evacuation and any equipment they needed before departing. The intention was to be airborne as soon as humanely possible to make for the UK. The A330 MRTT was notified of their departure for an air to air refuel to make it back to the UK. The aircrew remaining in constant contact with their operation command post. Once back in the UK, checks took place on those evacuated and the Norwegian Government informed..

Winter is here
Weather Forecasts on TV and internet sources provided the prediction of the snowfall and generally what to expect. Light Snow in the UK generally brought the country to a grinding halt but this was worse. With the strong winds, heavy hail followed by the snow -- already emergency services were entering briefings of what to expect in the coming days. In preparation, the Armed Forces were instructed to ensure the securing of Naval Vessels and the housing of aircraft. The Coastguard, working in cooperation with RNLI were put on high readiness with other emergency services. The Royal Air Force was informed to be ready to deploy helicopters in support if required, but that was only a possibility at this point.

RMS Queen Mary 2 was informed of the lack of safety clearance to make port and was instructed to hold back in safer seas, they would be informed when they could enter and tides observed cautiously to offer the best window possible for it to make it into Southhampton. RNLI Lifeboats and Coastguard Helicopters remained active in support of Fishing Trawlers getting into complications. Fire Services remained ready to deploy to anyone stranded, or unfortunately caught in an accident on the roads. The NHS however, had to remain proactive with getting ambulances to medical emergency's.

In an urge to keep services going, snow plows had been out in force throughout the days to keep roads available, this would be the same for train plows to keep the rail services running. Airports, however, had suffered major delays whilst airstrips were cleared and assessed for flights, if the winds provided the ability to safely fly.

Shamhand

The Irish Government would respectfully permit British merchant vessels and trawlers the right dock in Irish ports until the sea ceased to be plagued by stormy weather. Port officials will see to it that lodgings are found and each vessel's supplies restocked.

Apprentice

This is the response of Norway, NOT an official MN Event response
Note: While not relevant to the effects of what is happening here, this post is directly proceeded by this post in another thread for the sake of story.

It was early in the morning, but Enoch was back in Oslo. His aircraft landed without any problems, and he was swiftly escorted into the city by the Royal Guard and his normal security entourage. He gave his driver orders to take him directly to Akershush Fortress where there was an emergency meeting of the High Command and of some of the cabinet. As Enoch's motorcade pulled up, he could see the remnants of the Prime Minister's motorcade dispersing, indicating that Mister Holt had arrived only minutes before him. Enoch stepped inside and was greeted by several soldiers who were surprised to see him, but stood at attention and saluted. He saluted them back, and continued down the hall alone. It took him only a few minutes to determine what meeting room they were in. The guard outside of it opened the door for the King, who slightly ducked his head as he walked in. Prime Minister Holt looked relieved to see the king. He stood up, as did everyone else.

"Your Majesty, I'm happy that you were able to join us. We didn't think you would be able to leave." In the room were Mister Holt, Enoch's uncle Ingavr who was also the Chief of Defense, several cabinet members, and the entire high command of Norway.
"It looks like a coup is being planned," Enoch said, only half joking.
"I only plot against you when we play chess, King Enoch," Ingvar said from across the table.

Prime Minister Holt offered Enoch the head chair at the table and started to speak. "Your Majesty, the situation with the weather is getting much worse than expected but... out of the darkness that is to come, we do have some good news. Our scientists in Jan Mayen were stranded. A meeting was convened in here this morning to assess ways of extracting them, but we determined that it would simply be impossible due to our lack of vehicles. Well, since we were sharing all scientific data from the Ministry of Environment with the Dutch and British, the British received the distress call rom our head scientist on Jan Mayen that was sent to Minister Lund. The British deployed a C-130, which was able to evacuate all of our scientists on the island. From what we can tell, they are now safely on their way back to Britain. We're just waiting on a call from the British to confirm it, and we'll get them back here to Norway." Once the British had informed the Norwegians of the rescue mission, they quickly told the scientists on the island by radio and text broadcast that a British C-130 was going to attempt to pick them up.

Minister Lund bit his lip and sat back in his chair before speaking, he looked distraught. "Your Majesty, Environment dropped the ball on this one.. I take full responsibility for that."
Enoch, who wasn't concerned with the prospect of losing any of his ministers at the moment, ignored the comment. "Oscar, can you explain, in detail, what's going on now? I had to leave a much needed vacation to come back here for this meeting."
Oscar adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Yes sir. There's been a critical disruption of the global thermohaline system, but what's of more immediate concern is that a massive arctic oscillation is going to bring immense cold and severe winter weather down south into Europe. We are first on the chopping block, along with the British. We're not going to know how bad it'll be until it gets here but... well I don't want to alarm anyone here.. but the Meteorological Institute has some ranges of how cold things could get here..."

Enoch poured himself a glass of water and asked for the sake of clarity, "What, around freezing?"
Oscar shook his head. He took the King's glass, poured the water within it back into the pitcher, and used a pair of tongs to drop several large ice cubes into the glass. He pushed it back to Enoch. The king looked up at him. "What's your worst case scenario, Oscar?"
The Minister looked up for a moment, and then back at the King, "Isolated conditions under a worst-case scenario could mean -50 degrees Celsius in Oslo and some other parts of the country, while most of the rest sits at about -25. A worst case scenario could involve five feet of snow in some parts of the country, hurricane-force winds, and massive hail..."

The room was quiet as Enoch stared at the frozen glass. "How much time do we have?"
Oscar checked his watch, "The last report I was given said that the severe weather will first hit Trondheim in about an hour, maybe two if they're really lucky."
Enoch looked over at his uncle Ingvar, "Sophia stayed in Trondheim" he said.

::::::::::

It took twenty minutes to get in touch with the Queen's detail in the forests outside of Trondheim, where she was still in their secluded cabin. The King's Guard stationed at the Palace in Trondheim commandeered a private helicopter and took it to the a clear area near the cabin to pick up the Queen and several of the King's Guard, while the rest were to drive back to Trondheim as quickly as possible. The Queen did manage to make it to the palace in Trondheim before the weather turned sour, but only by about fifteen minutes. As they entered into the city, they could hear air raid sirens wailing, and from the sky they could see the lights of government buildings flicking on early.

In Oslo, Enoch remained with the High Command and the Prime Minister for another hour to assess what should be done in the little time they had to prepare. Before Enoch had even arrived, Ingvar ordered for the emergency deployment of three frigates with their full compliment of crew, food, and all other normal and basic necessities that would usually come with a deployment. By the time Enoch even brought them up, they were already steaming out of dock and into Oslofjord. Their orders were to remain in international waters, but to hug the coast of Denmark and sail towards the English channel at top speed. It was decided not to leave them in Oslofjord because of the growing ice and the incredible winds that they would be facing in port itself.

Enoch also ordered the emergency mobilization of three regiments of the Home Guard's Rapid Reaction Force and for the other two to be put on standby. The three that were being deployed were in and around Oslo, and were being tasked with keeping the city functional for as long as possible. Once the bad weather was over, temperatures would continue to drop, and they would be needed to make shipments, transport fuel, clear the streets, and assist anyone in need until it was determined unsafe for them to be outside. A single company (comprising of 100) of the Valkyries were also mobilized and ordered to use the Palace as their staging area. Finally, all a company (100 men) of the King's Guard were also mobilized and staged from the Royal Palace as well.

Enoch called Sophia to inform her of the situation, and explain why it would be impossible to get her home at this point without putting herself and a lot of people in harm's way. He told her that he loved her, and took the unusual step of appointing her commander of Trondheim's armed forces in the event that they lost communications with Oslo. Their phone call wasn't long because the King had many things to do, but neither of them wanted to hang up.

At the same time, Minister Ingvar ordered the Ministry of Defense to active that country's Emergency Response System (ERS) which included automated messages on the radio, television stations, and sent to most mobile phone devices. It also activated the country's network of air-raid sirens at military bases and in major cities such as Oslo, Trondheim, and others. The idea was to wake up the entire country that morning so that they would at least have one to three hours to prepare for the incoming weather. Minister Lund also ordered that scientists from around the kingdom continue to send their information to Environment's headquarters in Oslo so that they can interpret the data - temperature, windspeeds, wind direction, and precipitation were given priority.

Minister Karlsen ordered that all passenger and commercial train services to shut down - while some locomotives were equipped with special plows to continuously clear snow from the tracks as it fell. While there weren't enough plows or trains to keep the country's tracks clear so that they could all be used after the bad weather, there were enough to prevent the snow from compacting into two feet of ice and incasing the most vital tracks for a longer period of time. Karlsen also closed Norwegian airspace to all ingoing and outgoing commercial flights, including international flights that would be crossing through Norwegian airspace; and also ordered all commercial and civilian vessels in Norwegian waters - especially fishermen to either stay in or return to port, warning them that they would not be able to help them during or some time after the storm. Major highways leading out of the cities were also closed, and civilians were advised to stay off the roads. Finally, he closed Norway's major ports of trade and especially ordered a temporary ban on the shipment of petroleum via sea through Norway's waterways. Minister Jakhelln sent out a PSA that would be nationally broadcast which said that all public schools and universities were closed until further notice and that faculty and staff should also remain home. The Minister of Energy sent out the order for all off-duty engineers employed by the government to report to their duty stations or remain on standby to keep Norway's electrical grid functioning. Special attention was being put on keeping the grid secure and online during this time. The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed all of the embassies in Oslo to shelter in place due to the incoming weather, and to listen to the news.

The sirens sounded for ten minutes, and then the ERS took over major Norwegian broadcast stations to report on the incoming weather, and that all of Norway was under threat from it. It urged people to stay indoors, keep warm, use their fireplaces instead of their heaters if possible, and to shelter in place. This message repeated for fifteen minutes until the broadcasters were allowed to resume their programming, however during that time, the Minister of Internal Affairs was calling major Norwegian news networks, and urged them to begin news broadcasts to inform the Norwegian people.

Enoch returned to the Palace in Oslo. The High Command would remain at the fortress to oversee the safety and defense of the rest of Norway, while Oslo's military command was placed directly under the King and some other military officers. By the time he made it to the palace, softball-sized hail was already being reported around Trondheim. As he stepped out of his motorcade, he looked to the right of the Palace and knew that soon billowing black clouds would be approaching from that direction. He wanted to address the nation, but his advisors talked him into waiting until the storm passed so that they could first assess the damage. He waited inside the Palace as the Rapid Reaction Forces of the Home Guard first showed up, followed by more of the King's Guard and the Valkyries who were standing on opposite sides of a large room on the first floor of the palace. It was like the boys and girls on different sides of the room at the 8th grade dance all over again. All of the forces that would be outside were equipped with heavy-duty winter gear to keep them warm, and were also fed by the Palace cooks who had been working overtime with help from local restaurant staff to feed the troops breakfast in the Palace. Oslo's snowplows and iceremoval equipment was seized by the Home Guard, and fuel was sent in via truck to Palace grounds. If all else failed, the Palace's emergency generators should keep the lights on. Artic-grade diesel was shipped in exactly for this purpose.

::::::::::

After an hour, all light communications with Trondheim had been lost. Hardline communications, and longwave radio, remained operational for the time being. Enoch called Sophia again, who informed him that they were readying the Palace in Trondheim for the storm, and were inviting in their families and some of the local people. The Royal Guard in Trondheim were also working with local police to ensure that the streets were clear. In other major cities throughout Norway, similar plans were being made to keep the cities at least somewhat functional, and the stockpiling of fuel was underway as well. Towards the end of the front of weather is when temperatures began to drop dramatically. Data from Trondheim continued to roll in, and temperatures of -30 were already being reported. Civilian communications in Trondheim fell apart around that time, but the government and military still hard working hard-lines.

Once the weather hit Oslo, it was clear how bad things were. Soldiers and police rushed for shelter as baseball-sized hail pelted parts of the city. Afterwards, powerful winds brought in frigid arctic air and then the snow began. It snowed, and snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Reports were coming in of some stranded citizens in the city who either didn't receive the warnings or had decided to not take them seriously. There were already confirmed fatalities to "Exposure." Enoch felt like an armchair-idiot sitting in the Palace. He ordered that the Valkyries be assembled and ready for deployment in the main lobby of the Palace. Enoch informed everyone else in the room that he was "tired of sitting around" and that people needed help out there. He temporarily handed over operational command of the city to a high-ranking Home Guard officer (who had been doing much of the work anyway), and geared up in heavy-duty winter-wear for his own deployment. He put on an Ushanka along with the rest of his uniform, and headed downstairs where the Valkyries were waiting. He addressed all 100 in the lobby.

"Valkyries," he said in an elevated voice as he towered over everyone in the room. "We've received reports of stranded civilians in the streets and apartments and homes without electricity. The Palace is equipped to function in worst-case conditions, which is why all priorities will be brought here. As Norway's premier search and rescue team, I have my full faith that we will be able to accomplish our mission. We move out in five minutes, get ready!" The Valkyries began scrambling for their equipment while the Palace's dedicated staff began quietly moving items of extreme value and historical significance to the basement or attics of the palace. After five minutes, Enoch led the properly-equipped Valkyries outside. Many of whom were armed, while many others carried equipment and supplies like MREs, blankets, communications equipment, and other essentials that either they needed, or they could give to those in need. They were also equipped with heavy-duty flashlights and blue flares which were especially reserved for use of soldiers protecting (or in this case serving under) the King.

Outside they were immediately met with freezing air, and heavy snow. Once off Palace grounds, they continued into the streets of Oslo. They first went to ensure that several VIPs who the government couldn't contact were okay. They continued into the city and found a street where power appeared to be off. Enoch and the Valkyries entered several homes and offered blankets, food, and even firewood to some homes. Those that were close enough were given the option to evacuate to the Palace where they would be given refuge, food, and a place to sleep. Many accepted the offer of the Palace. Some citizens were comforted, or excited, by the presence of the beautiful, strong Valkyries while others were surprised to see the King with them, leading the way. After being outside for two hours, however, things were getting very bad. They had evacuated well-over 300 people to the Palace, but the snow and winds were blacking out the sky. That was when the power in Oslo went out. Entire streets lost power, including government buildings, many of which didn't have emergency generators. Enoch continued to lead the Valkyries to homes and apartment buildings, but after hour and a half, they decided they needed to get back to the Palace to assess the situation. Tragically, on their way back, they found a woman and three children dead in the snow - the youngest of which appeared to be three or four years old. The commander of the Valkyries saw this shake Enoch, who was a veteran himself, to his core. They wrapped up the bodies in blankets, and carried them back to the Palace.

Once they were back on Karl Johans Gate (the main street of Oslo that connected the Royal Palace and Storting Building) the leading Valkyries lit their blue flairs and waved them. King's Guard on snowmobiles road down and met them. The bodies were taken back to the Palace via the snowmobiles and kept in a private place just outside to preserve them. Enoch and the Valkyries returned to the Palace, exhausted. The civilians inside, however, cheered for them as they walked back in. They, unlike the rest of Oslo, still had power. Enoch couldn't imagine what some people must have been going through.

People continued to come into the Palace on their own accord, and were welcomed by orders of the King. Soon, bedrooms were being prepared to house families and couples, while bunks were available for single people in different parts of the Palace. Police and King's Guards made sure that no one was armed or had any weapons on them, and every floor had a sizeable number of guards and police to ensure that everyone was kept safe. At all times, Enoch was followed by three Royal Guards, two who remained at his side, and one who protected the rear of their small fireteam. An hour later, the emergency generators in the Palace failed, and the power went out there too. Fireplaces were stacked with logs and were lit as people huddled together in blankets and kept their doors shut to keep their rooms warm.

Enoch had reported back to Oslo-Command, which had been doing a good job at keeping important streets clear and safe. The High Command reported that power failures across the southern part of the country were occurring, and that all communications with Trondheim had been lost, including hardline communications. The three frigates had left Oslofjord and were encountering rough seas, but had trained pilots on them who got them out without running aground or striking other ships. The vessels were now encountering rough seas somewhere off the northern coast of the tip of Denmark. They last reported seeing Skagen West Lighthouse.

Once the power went out, all troops were recalled to the Palace or surrounding government buildings or barracks so that they could keep warm and wait out the rest of the storm. Enoch remained with Oslo-Command for most of the time, but took a few breaks to see the visitors in his home, check on the kitchen staff who actually had the warmest part of the building thanks to their constant cooking, and took a bit of alone time to wander the halls. Reports continued to come in of dead civilians in the streets, people calling for help and being stranded, and the loss of electricity. After an hour without electricity, communications with the High Command in the fortress were loss, and the Palace was now without the ability to communicate with the outside world. That is, until Enoch found an old telephone line from World War 2 in the basement of the palace. Amazingly, it was still working. He decided to call a friend for comfort.